Boris Johnson once promised to eat an ID card, now he wants to force us to have one to vote – Vladimir McTavish

The 2021 Scottish election may prove historic for many reasons. We saw women of colour returned as MSPs for the first time ever in Holyrood’s history.

People are set to be required to have a form of ID to vote under UK government plans (Picture: Lesley Martin/PA)

The franchise was widened, allowing refugees to vote. A clear mandate was delivered for a second independence referendum, no matter how the Tories want to spin the figures.

However, it could prove historic for a less positive reason. While the government in Scotland have increased the number of people who are eligible to vote, the UK government appears hell-bent on reducing voter numbers.

If the current Prime Minister has his way, it could have been the last time you voted without having to produce photo ID.

This is a sinister plan to disenfranchise the most disadvantaged in society, in the guise of preventing what is a virtually non-existent crime. In-person voter fraud happens so rarely it does not merit penalising people who can neither afford a driving licence or passport.

Furthermore, real criminals intent on committing electoral fraud would doubtless be able to get their hands on fake photo ID. Incidentally, I reckon the same could be true if vaccine passports are introduced for nightclubs.

There will be bound to be dodgy clubs where you will not only be able to get in without a vaccine passport, you’ll also be able to buy a fake one once you’re inside.

This is yet another example of the Prime Minister’s hypocrisy, which should come as no surprise to any of us. During his time in power, he has often totally contradicted his words from his previous life in journalism.

When Tony Blair proposed introducing identity cards back in 2005, Johnson wrote in a national newspaper that if he was asked to produce one, he would “take that card out of my wallet and physically eat it in the presence of whatever emanation of the state has demanded I produce it”.

That statement explains one thing at least. Namely that if someone is prepared to put any old crap into their mouth, it should come as no surprise that so much crap comes out of their mouth too.

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